Madeira is a tiny portuguese island, adrift way out in the Atlantic, in the outermost region of the european union. This small archipelago has become one of the most iconic outdoor meccas in Europe, and has been on my bucket list for many years.However, this fame has come with a price - and if I was going to Madeira, I wanted to get a chance to experience its wild beauty from the lesser travelled trails. Which is how I ended up back on a Trails & Roots camp this summer.And so one day of travel and a Ryanair flight later, I woke up in the city of Funchal, under azure blue skies, surrounded by good coffee and the rustle of lizards scurrying for cover. The first day is almost like orientation. All the campers arrive at our home for the week - a sprawling house and gardens, the kind I only expect to see in period movies or on a guided tour, much less sleep in myself. Once were assigned our rooms and have finished exploring the grounds, its time for a yoga session to get us limbered up and ready for the days ahead.Little do you realise that this is the start of falling into the daily rituals that bookend the otherworldly experiences that are the trails.. Hours and hours of climbing and descending single track paths, filling your time so thoroughly that days begin to feel like weeks. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize But Im getting ahead of myself - its night one, and after our incredible group meal, Heather appears with her calendar for the week, and our first day of trails is filled in. We discuss the route, gear, and breakfast times. That night, its the grand finale of the madeira firework festival, and I stand on the balcony with people Ive just met, watching the sky light up like nothing else.Lets get running. Our second day has a breakfast call of 6am, followed by 18km of the eastern sea cliffs. Daniel, our local legend and guide, tells us about Madeira and its incredible number of micro climates - we will only experience a selection of them on this trip. The volcanic rock here is rugged with red undertones, the trails having an almost arid feel. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize On day 3 our breakfast starts at 5:45, with the bus leaving at 7:30am. Being based in the Quinta in Funchal, each morning we have our own bus that brings us to and from the trail heads, meaning that all of our runs are point to point, getting to experience as much of the island as possible. For some, the twisting roads were nausea inducing, but for me, I feel like I spent most of that time staring out at the magic shapes that the mountains bent themselves into.Departing the bus, our next run took us along stunning lavadas to reach the 600 year old forests of fanal, famous for the perpetual mists and eerie trees. This is a very popular area, but thanks to our guides we came and went with only moments passing through the crowds. Again, this is why I came to Madeira with Trails & Roots - their local guides know the island better than the back of their hands, changing routes each year to offer the best experiences. I feel like we were ghosts in the mist, entering and leaving along our own quiet paths.We finished this day on one of the black sand beaches that are natural to Madeira, swimming in the sea, and eating a picnic while we dried off in the sun. Sitting there, electrolytes in one hand and a cookie in the other, my brain honestly found it hard to believe that the incredible sea cliffs, disappearing off into the distance, were real. The longer I stared, the more waterfalls I noticed, more wisps of cloud weaving with the trees, more green life spilling over into the ocean. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Our fourth day had the earliest alarm - we were heading to the trails for sunrise. And not only that, we had some of the first permits for the incredible PR1 to Pico Riuvo, the highest summit of Madeira. Even our guide Daniel was giddy with excitement that morning - this was his first time back on this trail since it had closed two years before from a wildfire. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize We hiked into our viewpoint for sunrise, bathing us and the ridgelines around us in a heavenly red glow of morning light.This was possibly our most technical day of trails - mostly due to the exposure and sheer steepness of the routes - which famously dont really come out on camera. So just believe me, it was like magic. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize What I havent mentioned so far, is that I came to trail camp with a hip injury - a week before I could barely walk. Some physio sessions and strong pain killers later, I decided Id come regardless, and if all I was able to do was take in the scenery and lounge by the house pool, then thats what Id do. Madeira is gorgeous whether or not you can run.Thankfully, my body held out for three of the five long runs, before it called a halt to my antics. And so for the final two days, I did small sections of the route solo, either returning to the bus start point, or being dropped close to the end of the route and walking down.I include this mostly to mention that its a normal part of these camps for some people to take a day off, or switch up how much they can do once theyre here. On day five, it was all about the tunnels and waterfalls, the route feeling like a tropical rainforest. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Day six was a descent through the ecological park above Funchal, finishing in the village of Monte. I got dropped five or so kilometres from the end, getting to take in a small bit of the park, and the summit of Pico Alto. I chose this section of the route because it was my Birthday, and ever since 2018, Ive visited a new summit to celebrate the day. I hiked in and called Carl at home, sharing the trail with him and the views out over the city. I cant finish this write-up without mentioning the food. Not only are the runs bespoke - all your meals are cooked by the most lovely, talented chefs. Our head chef for this camp was Greta, and I hope she knows just how mind-blowing the food was. Deconstructed lasagnes, reimagined madeiran food that had us all drooling, and a lemon tart that I will think about for the rest of my life. It was fine dining every night, with dishes magically disappearing as each course came and went. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize And a final mention for the house. I've never sat below such a grand chandelier while listing to a training workshop (shout out to Zandy for all the advice he shared across the week), our walked around as grand a study. It felt old and beautiful, but also human - the penciled in height markers of generations of this family caught my eye as I walked to the bathroom one evening, and made me imagine the many people who walked these halls before me. This has been made in collaboration with Trails & Roots! Thanks to Heather for organising a fantastic trip, and for facilitating me coming to camp to document the adventure once more. Trails & RootsTrails & Roots is a small, passion-driven Irish business founded by Heather Gordon.Heather organises & leads group trail running holidays in some of the world's most beautiful mountain destinations - from the iconic trails of Chamonix to Madeira's dramatic coastal paths, Slovenia's alpine peaks to Thailand's hidden jungle gems. Each Trail Camp is thoughtfully crafted to combine guided mountain runs, innovative cuisine created by the Trails & Roots Head Chefs, and a community of like-minded adventurers to share the experience with.Come for the Trails. Stay for the People. Come back for the Food.Check www.trailsandroots.com or@trailsandroots on Instagram Further ExploringIf you're interested in similar kinds of adventures, I also went to Thailand with Trails and Roots back in January 2025. Read my write up here, or watch the video version here.